Washington, DC [US], May 16 : US Vice President JD Vance will lead a delegation to Vatican City to attend the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pope, on May 18, White House said in a statement.
Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance will be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and along with his wife Jeanette Rubio.
Pope Leo XIV is the first American Pope. Vice President Vance is the first Catholic convert to serve as Vice President, as per White House.
Earlier, Pope Leo XIV welcomed the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan and expressed hope that the forthcoming negotiations would lead to a lasting agreement between the two nations.
"I am pleased by the announcement of the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and I hope that through the forthcoming negotiations a lasting agreement will soon be reached," Pope Leo XIV said in a post on X.
He also appealed for peace worldwide, specifically mentioning the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine in his first Sunday address on May 11.
"I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people," Pope Leo XIV said, urging for an "authentic, just and lasting peace as soon as possible" in Ukraine.
He also called for the release of prisoners and the reunification of children with their families.
"May all the prisoners be freed and may the children return to their families," he said.
Regarding the Gaza Strip, the Pope expressed deep sadness over the ongoing conflict and called for an immediate ceasefire.
"I am deeply saddened by what is happening in the Gaza Strip. Cease fire immediately! Let humanitarian aid be provided to the exhausted civilian population, and let all hostages be freed," he said.
Pope Leo, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, was elected last week, becoming the first US-born Pope. This news surprised and delighted many Catholics across the Americas, CNN reported.
In his first formal meeting with cardinals, which began with a standing ovation, the new pontiff said he chose his papal name to continue down the path of Pope Leo XIII, who addressed "the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution."
Pope Leo XIII ruled the Roman Catholic Church from 1878 until he died in 1903 and is remembered as a pope of Catholic social teaching. He wrote a famous open letter to all Catholics in 1891, called "Rerum Novarum" ("Of Revolutionary Change"), which reflected on the destruction wrought by the Industrial Revolution on the lives of workers.
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